Life Gives You Lemons 🍋
(2) recipes, savory and sweet, to add for your eating pleasure
While the old adage says “make lemonade” there are many more delicious applications that lemons offer us in the kitchen.
I love citrus. It’s such a diverse family and can be essential for proper seasoning when cooking (think acid). From mild to extremely tart, citrus runs the gamut and should not be overlooked.
Citrus season has all but concluded and I found myself gifted with a glut of lemons. Like 50 of them 😂
When I had my own restaurants it was easy to deploy uses and also preserve for later in the year so that got me thinking to pass on (2) recipes that are relatively simple and wonderful to have on hand in your kitchen year-round.
Preserved Lemon
This is a preparation that is iconic in North-African, as well as Southern French cuisines.
Whole lemons are split and doused with salt, then packed with some spices/aromatics. The liquid from the lemons releases and forms a brine that will pickle the lemon rind within a few weeks.
Once rinsed the rind is finely chopped or minced (usually).
If you’ve ever had Moroccan Tagine (usually lamb but could be chicken, rabbit, etc) this is an essential ingredient that brings an intense and zesty lemon aroma and flavor that can not be substituted.
You can also add into cous cous, steamed rice, cream sauces and even aiolis or salad dressings.
While many recipes will call for warming spices like cardamom and cinnamon, I omit those to make a more versatile pickle but you can play around with it as you like. Remember with those two spices, less is more!
Notice that this is less about exact measurements and more about the vessel you use to store the lemons in. You want to have enough brine to cover all the lemons within 2-3 days.
Method
8 lemons
32oz mason jar (wide mouth) with lid
Kosher salt (probably 1/2-2/3 cup)
1 large (or 2 small) bay leaf
1 tsp whole black peppercorn
Cut the lemons in quarters lengthwise, leaving them attached at one end.
Open the lemons and douse the exposed flesh with salt. Pull the lemon back together allowing the excess salt to fall out; repeat.
Place 1-2 TB of salt in the bottom of your jar, to make a shallow layer.
Place the lemons in the jar (you may have to pull some of the lemons in half to get a tight layer with minimal gaps, that’s fine.
Sprinkle some more salt, peppercorn and bay leaves, pressing the lemons to fit them snugly in the jar. Press down firmly to enourage the lemons to release their juice.
Now repeat the process until all the lemons are snug. Pushing very firmly multiple times to pull out the juice of the lemons.
Leave for an hour or two, if possible, and press down again.
Cover and leave at room temperature for 2-3 weeks or until the rind is very soft.
Daily you want to shake or tilt the jar to redistribute the brine over the lemons. Pushing down daily for the first 2-3 days. Then the lemons should have enough brine to remain submerged.
After completed, store in the refrigerator. When ready to use pull out however much preserved lemon you need and rinse thoroughly under running water and dry well.
Now you can slice, dice or add in segments to a braise/tagine.
This is worth having a jar or two of in your fridge and will be a gamechanger to add into some dishes while you’re cooking.
Enjoy!
Lemon Curd
This sweet-tart spread is a total hack to have on hand.
Whether you need to whip up a quick dessert for friends (think on poundcake, in pavlova, or fold with whipped cream for a spreadable topping) or just want to dunk a scone in it with your tea… lemon curd is magic.
I’m an acid freak and find so many desserts too sweet.
Lemon curd makes your mouth water and still has a sweetness that makes it a treat 🙌
I’ve got a few versions of this but like this one as a default because: